Statement of Wildlife Center of Virginia on Rescue of Goshen Bald Eagle

No federal or state wildlife laws were broken in the rescue and transport of Bald Eagle #16-1352, a bird that was found injured at the Boy Scout Camp near Goshen, Virginia on June 26.

According to U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service policy, if an injured Bald or Golden Eagle is found by a private citizen, that individual should first contact a permitted wildlife rehabilitator, a licensed veterinarian, an appropriate state game agency, or the Migratory Bird Permitting Office. If that expert determines that the bird should be captured and transported, the rescuer may do so, and may immediately provide transport to a permitted treatment facility. For more information: https://www.fws.gov/pacific/eagle/all_about_eagles/injured_eagle.html

This is the procedure that was followed in the case of the Goshen Bald Eagle; this has been the procedure that has been followed dozens of times during the Wildlife Center of Virginia’s 30+-year history of wildlife veterinary medicine.